Papelbon Took Controversial Toradol

ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes is reporting that Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon took controversial anti-inflammatory Toradol during his time with the Red Sox. Toradol is currently legal in the United States but has been banned in England because of risks of life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding. Papelbon told Edes that he began taking the anti-inflammatory in 2007, the same year his then-team Red Sox won the World Series.

Papelbon told Edes that he stopped taking Toradol after meeting with the Phillies during a pre-signing physical. Papelbon said that he took the drug 30 minutes before a game and the effects lasted for about four hours.Toradol is not banned by MLB or the NFL but some clubs choose to ban its use. The NFL has recently restricted its consumption and tightened rules around its administration. In the NFL, only team doctors can administer the drug to players on the injured reserve and only in the lowest recommended dose.

Papelbon says the Phillies training staff have safer anti-inflammatory treatments and Papelbon says he has been Toradol-free since joining the Phillies. This is good considering some of the FDA’s listed side-effects: “increased risk of serious GI adverse events including bleeding, ulcer, and stomach or intestine perforation, which can be fatal; may occur at any time during use and without warning signs.”